Stand By You
by AhmoseInarus
Summary: Let Me In: 22 - As Reid struggles to overcome the lasting psychological damage he sustained with Coronado, Hotch decides that a familiar face may do him good. Gideon comes for a visit. Short ficlet.


Stand By You

Ahmose Inarus

Disclaimer: I do not own criminal minds or its characters and blah blah blah you get the point.

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This takes place between chapter 14 and 15 of 'Cachorro', in the 'One Month Later' timeline. And since everyone loved Drs. Tsai and Blair from 'Unexpectedly Expecting' so much, I have brought them back as Reid's personal physician and therapist! Woot!

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Hotch guided Reid into his apartment with a hand in the small of the boy's back. Reid had his arms wrapped around himself with his head bowed. He was exhausted.

He had seen doctors all day. It had been two weeks since his team had saved him from the clutches of Arturo Coronado from the man's estate in Manaus, Brazil… rescued him from the life of a sex slave… Hotch had worked with him non-stop ever since to get Reid to the point that he would allow a doctor to examine him, physically. He had spent all morning with his gentle, nurturing physician named Dr. Valerie Tsai, who had given him a thorough exam, leaving no stone unturned… due to Reid's resistance, an exam that would normally take an hour took four hours. Hotch had been present for all of it, and had held his lover's hand when they had taken his blood to check for any diseases, and had gently talked the boy through an invasive rectal exam. And all this was after it had taken forty five minutes for him to talk the boy into undressing for the exam.

Afterwards, Hotch had taken Reid to lunch at a little café, where he had watched the boy down cup after cup of coffee. After that, he had taken Reid for his appointment with a therapist named Dr. Melinda Blair who specialized in dealing with people who had been brainwashed and abused. The initial session had been two hours, and SEVERELY emotionally draining.

But now they were finally home. Reid stumbled out of his shoes and headed back to the bedroom to grab a shower that he DESPERATELY desired. Hotch sighed and headed to the kitchen to put on the coffee; Reid hadn't been comfortable with the man's presence when he was naked. The SAC hadn't been surprised. He knew this would take time. And he was prepared to give the boy all the time he needed. Hell, he was willing to take a lifelong vow of chastity… anything to have his beloved recover and be happy again.

He glanced at the clock and set out three coffee mugs. Then came the knock on the door. Hotch smiled; perfect timing.

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Reid stood under the stream of hot water, letting out a deep sigh. He was SO tired and worn… with the water pouring down his face, he let his anguished tears fall… He hated this… He had been raped by Shane Harvey and got through that… he had been fine… he had gotten through his molestation by Coronado in the early summer, and had been fine… but this… almost an entire month of frequent abuse and sexual assault by numerous people of both genders… it was too much. He couldn't even let Hotch near him when he was nude… he couldn't share the same bed with the man unless they were both fully clothed… only then could he allow his lover to hold him. And he felt safe then, but still…

Reid finished his shower and dried off, pulling on his pajamas. When he came out into the bedroom, Hotch smiled at him.

"Hey." He said, and Reid gave him a small smile in return. "I have a surprise for you." Reid blinked inquisitively and allowed Hotch to take his hand. Reid was drawn out of the bedroom, past the room that was used by Jack when the little boy stayed with his daddy, and into the living room. Reid blinked. There was someone sitting on the sofa. The man stood and turned, and Reid's eyes widened.

"… Gideon!" He cried, and launched himself into the elder man's arms. Gideon caught his protégé and held him close, smiling sadly.

"Hey, Spencer."

"What are you doing here?" Reid asked, stepping back.

"… Hotch called me." Reid blinked at that and glanced back at Hotch, who nodded. "He told me what happened." Reid blinked again, then nodded. Slowly, he and Gideon sat down on the sofa and Hotch brought them coffee, sitting in his own arm chair.

"How are you doing, Spencer?"

"… As well as can be expected." Reid said with a nod. "But… I'm glad to see you." Gideon smiled at him. It had been a few months since he had seen Reid. Since he had left the BAU, the first meeting was when he had shown up on Reid's doorstep right after New Year to yell at Hotch for being in a relationship with Reid. They had met twice since. Once right after he was rescued from Jonathan Wilkes in Wyoming who had tried to turn Reid into his dead son, Alexander, and then right before the accident that had left Reid blind for a little over a week. But Reid and Hotch both had an emergency contact number to reach Gideon just in case. Hotch felt that Reid's strained mental condition warranted the call. And Gideon had dropped everything and come to town immediately.

Now, Reid was curled up on the sofa, talking with the man, and smiling for the first time that day. And that made Hotch smile. He knew this would help. Eventually he made his way to his desk in the dining room area and began to work on some files, listening to the soft voices in the living room. It was several hours later that Gideon walked over.

"Reid and I are going to go out for a bit." He said. Hotch looked up at him, then nodded.

"Alright." He said, though he looked at the man, curiously.

"Take a walk, grab some dinner." Gideon said.

"Alright." Hotch nodded, smiling. Gideon nodded back, and a moment later Spencer emerged from the bedroom, fully dressed. He hugged Hotch, and then left with Gideon.

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"I just want to… get over it." Reid said softly. Gideon looked at the young man beside him as they walked down the wooded trail. "I mean… I can't even be intimate with the man I love. I want to, but I can't." Gideon raised his eyebrows. He knew Reid and Hotch did… that… but that didn't mean he wanted to talk about it… He sighed.

"Spencer… You're GOING to get over it. It WILL take time, though."

"I don't WANT it to take time! I didn't need time after Shane Harvey!" He cried, pleadingly.

"I know, Spencer. But I think that this incident was much more damaging than Shane Harvey had been. You had Hotch there with you the whole time. You had the team there with you. They helped you. You had that system of support. But this time, you were away for a month with no one you could trust, being broken down and brutalized. Shane was just an obsessed man who wanted you and didn't know how to make you his. Coronado was a man skilled at breaking people and molding them into what he wanted them to be. And he didn't have your for a week or two… he had you for a month. And it wasn't just one man… his slaves helped to break you down, too." Reid nodded, slowly.

"Hotch loves you, Spencer. He's going to be with you through every step of your recovery. But you have to remember… don't rush it. A rushed recovery isn't a proper recovery." Reid nodded at Gideon's words. The man gave him a pat on the back. "I'm proud of you, Spencer." Reid blinked and looked up at the man. Gideon smiled at him. "You were with him for a month. You went head to head with him, and his slaves. And you held on. You refused to break. You are stronger than you think you are. And when you recover from this, you will come back stronger than you were before." Reid smiled at Gideon, and the man chuckled. "You're incredibly resilient, Spencer. Just as I knew you would be. I know I made the right choice when I pulled strings to get you into the Academy, and straight onto the team. I knew you were the PERFECT man for the job. But…"

Reid looked up, nervously. Gideon shook his head. "I never could have known you would so thoroughly EXCEED all of my expectations so… drastically." Reid blinked several times, then slowly began to grin. "You know… you're one of the greatest assets the Bureau has EVER had."

"I want to go back to work." Reid told him.

"I know you do. But before you can help other people, you need to help yourself. You can't be strong for them until you are strong in yourself again."

"I know."

"Just remember. As much as you want to go back to work, going back before you're ready and healed could be deadly."

"I know."

"Be honest with Dr. Carlson. And with Hotch. Don't try to pull the wool over their eyes. Remember. They only want what is best for you. And right now, that is to HEAL." Reid smiled and nodded yet again. "Come on. Let's get some dinner." Gideon said, and they headed back to the car.

Thirty minutes later, they were sitting at a small table in the corner of a little Chinese restaurant, discussing chess and swapping quotes and discussing past cases, some from before Spencer was even born. By the end of the meal, Gideon had Reid smiling. A lot.

Hotch was waiting when they got back to the apartment.

"Hey." He said, watching the two men come in. Reid walked right over to him, threw his arms around the man's neck and kissed him. Hotch's eyes widened in surprise, but after a moment he curled his arms around Reid's waist and kissed him back.

"Eh… that's hard to get used to seeing…" Gideon mumbled, rubbing his forehead and going into the living room. Reid pulled back and giggled after Gideon. Hotch grinned.

"What was that for?" The man asked.

"Because I love you." Reid said.

"Did you have fun with Gideon?"

"Yeah. I guess. It's nice to talk to him from time to time."

"I'm sure it is." Hotch said, still holding Reid around the waist. Reid just smiled, resting his head on the man's shoulder and cuddling close. Hotch watched as Gideon peeked back into the room, and seeing that the intimate moment was over, entered. Gideon walked over, smiling down at his protégé. He placed a hand on Reid's back, rubbing it up and down. Reid smiled.

"You're going to be just fine, Spencer." The man said, and Reid looked at him. "We're going to stand by you every step of the way. I promise."

"Thanks." Reid said softly. "I'm uh… gonna shower."

"I'll put on coffee." Hotch said. And the men met up in the living room and talked until late into the night. It was after midnight that Gideon stood.

"I uh… think I've overstayed my welcome." He said, nodding to Reid who had dozed off. Hotch chuckled and stood, scooping his young lover into his arms. Reid mumbled and cracked his eyes open momentarily, but only nuzzled into the man's embrace and allowed himself to drift off again. That made Gideon chuckle and shake his head. He followed Hotch and watched as the man laid Reid on their bed and tucked him in, kissing his forehead. Then Hotch escorted Gideon to the door.

"Thanks for coming, Jason. I can tell it did wonders for him."

"Any time, Hotch. You're taking good care of him."

"Of course I am. I love him."

"… I know. Keep it up."

"Shut up, Jason." Hotch snorted, smirking. Gideon gave him a lop sided smile.

"Goodnight, Aaron."

"Night Jason. Drive safe." And he closed the door and cleaned up the coffee cups. He put them in the dishwasher, turned out the lights and took a shower. Then he put on his pajamas. And a few minutes later, he found himself standing in the bedroom, staring down at the lithe figure on the bed. Reid was curled up on his side, one arm curled into his chest, fist under his chin, and the other hand rested lightly on the pillow by his face. His tousled curls lay spread out over the pillow and a few fell across his cheek.

Slowly, Hotch slid in beside his lover, brushing those curls from his face, and then gently kissing the boy's defined cheek. He watched as Reid sucked in a breath, a smile touching his parted lips. Reid didn't open his eyes, but he reached out and grabbed the man's shirt, pulling him closer. Hotch turned out the light and rolled onto his back, allowing Reid to make himself comfortable on his chest.

"… love you." Came the soft coo, and the man smiled.

"Love you too, baby…"

"Mmmm…" Reid sighed, and his breathing evened out. Hotch ran his hand up and down Reid's spine, and closed his eyes.

All was quiet.

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END

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Next time, you will get a fun little one shot called 'Roses Are Red'. Then, after that, 'Edge Of Insanity'.

And remember! The poll for the next AU fic I work on is still open. I will hold it open a LITTLE while longer! Right now, its a close race between two them to win!

Review, please!


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